CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AVEO Oncology (NASDAQ: AVEO) and Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503) today announced the initiation of patient enrollment in a randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial, called BATON-BC, evaluating the efficacy of tivozanib, an investigational drug, in combination with paclitaxel compared to placebo in combination with paclitaxel in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic triple negative breast cancer who have received no prior systemic therapy for advanced or metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Triple negative breast cancer was selected for tivozanib clinical evaluation because of high unmet need and insights gained from AVEO’s Human Response PlatformTM indicating that these tumors are enriched for a signature of VEGF pathway deregulation similar to that seen in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). BATON-BC is the third trial to be initiated as part of the BATON (Biomarker Assessment of Tivozanib in ONcology) clinical development program, which includes ongoing trials in advanced metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced RCC.